Ironing-board.



W. B. BEHNKE.

IHONING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1915. RENEWED sEPT.27. 1916.

1,223, 1 37. Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET X.

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f [in M ATT0RNEY8 W. B. BEHNKE.

IRONING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24,-19I5. RENEWED SEPT.27. 1916.

1,223, 13'}?- Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A TTORNEYS narrnn srarns PATENT orries.

WILHELM B. BEHNKE, or ASHLAND, WISCONSIN.

IRONING-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

Application filed August 24, 1915, Serial No. 47,065. Renewed September 2'7, 1916. Serial No. 122,559.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM B. BnHNKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ironing-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in ironting boards, and the invention has for its object to provide a board of the character specified, which may be collapsed into small compass for transportation or storage or which may be extended to provide asmooth plane horizontal table for use in ironing garments, and extending beyond the supporting frame at one end thereof, and having a detachable bosom board supported by the first-named board above the same, and with one end free, the boards being hinged to the frame, and the hinge connection being detachable.

In the drawings o Figure l is a perspective iew of the ironing board with the table extended,

Fig. 2 is a partial end view, 7

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section with the table extended,

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and I Fig. 5 is a side view of the table collapsed.

The present embodiment of the invention comprises two end frames, each consisting of a pair of standards or legs 1, and a connecting cross bar 2 at the top of the legs, and each pair of legs is connected intermediate its ends by a rod or bolt 3, extending transversely of the legs as shown. One pair of legs is furtherv connected by a cross bar 4, near their lower ends, and the other pair is connected by a shaft or roller to be later described.

One end of a flexible strip 5 is secured to the cross bar 4, by means of tacks 6 or the like, and the other end of the strip winds upon the roller above mentioned. The end frames are further connected by lazy tongs. Each lazy tongs consists -of cross bars 7, pivotally connected intermediate their ends as indicated at 8, and the members of each pair of cross bars are connected at their ends to the ends of the adjacent pair. At their upper ends these bars are connected by a pivotal connection indicated at 9, and atv their lower ends the said connection is in the form of a rod or shaft 1O, which connects of the remote bars of each set is pivotally and slidably connected to the adjacentleg l, by means of a. screw 12. Each of these screws 12 is passed through a vertical slot 18 in the adjacent leg, and into engagement with the bar, the head ofthe screw being on the inner side of the leg. The arrangement is such that when the lazy tongs are collapsed they will move into the close arrangement shown in Fig. 5, and the screws 12 will move upward in theslots permitting the legs at each side of the supporting frame to abut at their adjacent edges.

The roller to which one end of the strip 5 is connected is as shownin Fig. 4, a spring actuated roller. This roller 14 is provided at one end with a journal pin 14 and a coil spring 15 is arranged within the chambered end of the roller, one end of the spring being secured to the journa'l'pin andv the other to the roller. The journal pin hasa flattened trunnion 16, which engages a similarly shaped opening in a bearing bracket 17, whichis securedto the adjacent leg 1. This roller is the ordinary spring actuated blind roller, arranged to'take up the slack in the strip 5 when the table is collapsed.

As shown in Fig 4, at each of the con nections 11 is a screw, and aspacing collar 17 is arranged on each of the screws 12 at one end of the supporting frame to properly space the adjacent bar 7 from the leg. It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 4 that each of the shafts or rods 3 is pinnedto each leg by means of a pin 17 the pin being passed through the leg and diametrically through the shaft or rod. 7

An ironing board 18 is connected with the cross bar 2 of that end frame which supports the roller by a hinge connection shown in Fig. 2. Thisfironing boardhas secured to the under face thereof and at the center of the board and longitudinally of the board, a reinforcing and stiffening bar 19, the said bar being connected to the board byv means of screws or the like, and the ends of the bar are beveled as shown. That cross bar 2 of the end frame having the cross bar 4L is notched or recessed on its upper face as in dicated at 21, to receive this bar when the table is extended, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The hinge connection above mentioned is double, each hinge comprising a hinge leaf 22, which is secured to the under face of the board 18, and the bearings 23 of the hinge leaf extend beyond the outer face of the cross bar 2. A second leaf 2% is secured to the cross bar 2 at each of the hinge leaves 22 and the bearings 25 of each of the last-named leaves are adapted to register or aline with the bearings 23 of the first-named hinge leaves.

A pintle pin is provided for each hinge for connecting the adjacent leaves, and the said pintle pins 26 and 27 are connected by an integral connection 28. The pintles are in alinement, but they are spaced apart at their adjacent ends, so that by moving the integral connection 28, which is offset laterally with respect to the pintles, the pintles may be simultaneously moved to disengage them from the registering bearings 23 and 25.

The free ends of the pintles are pointed, so that they will easily enter the bearings, and the pintles and the integral connection are formed from a single piece of wire, which is bent to shape. This wire is bent laterally at right angles to the pintle 26, and then parallel with the said pintle and in the opposite direction from the bend, after which the wire is again bent parallel with the first-named bend and toward the pintle 26.

The free end of the wire is then bent to form the pintle 27, and it will be obvious that when the integral connection. 28 is grasped and moved in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 2, both pintles will be moved out of all of the bearings 23. This integral connection, however, is of such length that the first-named bend which connects the integral connection with the pintle 26, will engage the inner end of the hinge leaf 24, per

taining to the pintle 27, before the free ends of either the pintle 27 or the pintle 26 -entirely disengage from the bearings of the hinge leaves 24. This operation is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The arrangement is such that both pintles may be simultaneously moved just far enough to disengage all of the bearings 23 but without disengaging the pintles from the bearings 25. The pintle 26 may be moved far enough to disengage all of the bearings except the inmost bearing 25, while the pintle 27 may be moved far enough to disengage all of the bearings except the outermost bearing 25.

A-second board 29 is arranged above the board 18, the said board being a bosom or sleeve board. This board 29 is supported by blocks or plates 30, and 31, the former being at one end of the plate, while the latter is spaced apart from the said end, and a brace block or plate 32 is arranged longitudinally of the under face of the board between the plates 30 and 31.

The plates 30 and 31 are of the same width so that when these plates are engaged with the upper face of the board 18 the board 29 will be parallel with the board 18. he plate 30 as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with means for detachably engaging the pintle pins 26 and 27, before mentioned.

A strip 33 is secured to the outer face of this plate near each end thereof, by means of screws or the like, and each strip has a hook 34 on its lower end, and extending far enough below the plate 30 to engage a notch 35 in the adjacent hinge leaf 2%. Each of the hinge leaves 22 has but a single bearing 23, and this bearing is near the outer end of the hinge leaf. The hinge leaf 24 of course, has a notch for receiving the bearing, the said notch being between two bearings 25. Between the two other bearings 25 of each hinge leaf 24: the notch 35 occurs. "When the pintles 26 and 27 are disengaged as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the hooks 3-Zl will also be disengaged, and the bosom board may be released from the board 18.

When not in use, the parts may be arranged as shown in Fig. 5, that is, the end frame carrying the cross bar 4 may be moved toward the end frame carrying the roller it until the adjacent edges of the end frames abut. The boards 29 and 18 may be disengaged from the frame by means of the mov-' able pintles 26 and 27. These boards are also separated from each other by the movement of these pintles.

In operation when the board is in use, the board may be arranged as shown in Fig. 5. That is, the tables 18 and 29 are detached by moving the handle or integral connection 28 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This movement releases the single bearing 23 of each hinge leaf 22 from the pintles 26 and 27 and at the same time the hooks 3% may be released from the pintles if desired. That is, the tables 18 and 29 may be removed, as a whole, or they may be separated and removed in detail. The tables removed the one end frame is shoved toward the other end frame until they contact as indicated in Fig. 5. The lazy tongs at each side of the table fold together and the spring roller 14 winds up the element 5.

The improved'table may be packed in a very small compass for transportation or storage. When it is desired to extend or set up the table, the one end frame is pulled away from the other one, until the two frames are in the, position of Fig. 3. The strip 5 is withdrawn, and with the parts in this position the tables 18 and 29 may be placed. If the boards are separate the board or table 18 is first placed, after which the board 29 is seated on the board 18. The bearings and the hooks 34 are alined, after which the pintles are moved to engage the hooks and the bearings, thus ,hinging the two tables to the supporting frame.

The improved board may be made of any suitable material, as for instance, wood, metal, or the like.

I claim 1. An ironing table, comprising a pair of open end frames, each of the said frames comprising a pair of laterally spaced legs and cross bars connecting the legs, a spring actuated roller journaled between the legs of one frame, a strip of flexible material winding on the roller and connected to a cross bar of the other frame, lazy tongs connecting the adjacent legs of the pairs for permitting the end frames to be moved toward and from each other, and an ironing board detachably hinged to one end frame" and resting on the other.

2. An ironing table, comprising a pair of open end frames, each of the said frames comprislng a pair of laterally spaced legs and cross bars connectlng the legs, a sprlng actuated roller between the legs of one frame, a strip of flexible material winding on the roller and connected to a cross bar of the other frame, lazy tongs connecting the adjacent legs of the pairs for permitting the end frames to be moved toward andfrom each other, and an ironing board detachably hinged to one end frame and resting on the other.

3. In a device of the character specified, a supporting frame comprising end members movable toward and from each other, lazy tongs at opposite sides of the frame connecting the end members thereof, transverse rods connecting corresponding members of the lazy tongs upon opposite sides of the frame, a flexible strip supported upon the transverse rods and having connection at its ends with the respective end members of the frame, and means in the length of the flexible strip for'tensioning the same and automatically taking up slack.

i. In a device of the character specified, a supporting frame comprising end members movable toward and from each other, each member embodying transversely spaced uprights, a cross bar connecting the uprights of one member and a spring roller disposed between the uprights of the other member, a flexible strip attached at one end to the cross bar and connected at its opposite end to the spring roller and adapted to wind thereon, lazy tongs at opposite sides of the flexible strip and frame and connecting uprights upon the same side of the frame, and transverse rods below the flexible strip and connecting corresponding members of the oppositely disposed lazy tongs.

WILHELM B. BEHNKE.

In presence of W. G. NOHL,

FRED MICHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner oi Patents,

Washington, D. G. v 

